This member of the Euphorbiaceae family was given this name by Ferdinand Albin Pax in 1901. It is found in Tanzania, growing in a well drained sandy soil with some water and some sun. The caudex can grow "large", the entire plant to 75 centimetres in height. The flowers are green with purple veining.

The genera name from the Greek monos; 'one' and -aden; 'gland', referring to the solitary gland. The species name after Walter Goetze, 1872-1899, a German naturalist, explorer, photographer and collector of botanical and zoological specimens in Tanzania, who died of Blackwater Fever in Tanzania.